TESTIMONY OF THE DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
IN OPPOSITION TO:
H.B. NO. 6695: AN ACT CONCERNING MISREPRESENTATION OF TOWN OF RESIDENCY WITH RESPECT TO SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS
JOINT COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
April 15, 2013
The Division of Criminal Justice respectfully recommends the Committee take NO ACTION on H.B. No. 6695, An Act Concerning Misrepresentation of Town of Residency with Respect to School Accommodations. This bill would reduce from felony larceny to a misdemeanor the effective theft of services from a community by someone who enrolls a child in a public school district other than the district where the child resides without paying the requisite tuition and fees. Such conduct constitutes fraud on the community and should be treated and punished as such.
There is also no demonstrated need for this legislation. This legislation was initially proposed in the 2012 session as the result of erroneous reports in the news media concerning the arrest of a Bridgeport woman who had enrolled her child in the Norwalk school system. The news media inaccurately and repeatedly reported that the defendant in this case was homeless, which in fact was not the case. Given the facts of that particular case, there is no demonstrated need for H.B. No. 6695. It is an overreaction to something that never happened.
In conclusion, the Division respectfully requests the Committee take NO ACTION on H.B. No. 6695. The Division wishes to thank the Committee for providing this opportunity for us to provide input on this matter and we would be happy to answer any questions the Committee might have. Thank you.